As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 25.

This was the final BBWAA ballot for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, and Sammy Sosa.

[10] Schilling joined Jim Bunning in becoming the second player ever to run out of eligibility after having twice received 70% of the vote, but falling short of the necessary 75%.

Players who met first-year eligibility requirements but were not selected by the screening committee for inclusion on the ballot included: Michael Bourn, Billy Butler, Marlon Byrd, Chris Capuano, Coco Crisp, Gavin Floyd, Jeff Francoeur, Roberto Hernández, Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson, Colby Lewis, Kyle Lohse, Javier López, Ángel Pagán, Brayan Peña, Joel Peralta, David Ross, Brendan Ryan, Matt Thornton, Juan Uribe, Ryan Vogelsong, and Jerome Williams.

[20] On December 7, 2021, Tim Kurkjian, an ESPN analyst who had a long career as a writer for The Dallas Morning News, The Baltimore Sun, and Sports Illustrated, was named as the recipient.